The 2008 San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame class applauds during a ceremony at the Alamodome announcing their induction on Tuesday October 9, 2007. From left to right are: Olympic medalist Josh Davis, R.A. Johnson (representing his brother, inductee Cliff Johnson, Major League Baseball record holder), NFL player Lyle Blackwood, track star Clyde Gossen, and Northeast Independent School District Athletic Director Jerry Comalander (rt.). An official induction ceremony honoring the men will be held on February 15, 2008. JOHN DAVENPORT / STAFF

The 2008 San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame class applauds during a ceremony at the Alamodome announcing their induction on Tuesday October 9, 2007. From left to right are: Olympic medalist Josh Davis, R.A.

Olympic swimmer and medalist Josh Davis (left) addresses the crowd and other inductees of the 2008 San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame at the Alamodome on Tuesday October 9, 2007. The new members of the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame are: (from left to right) Davis, baseball player Cliff Johnson (not present; represented by his brother R.A. Johnson), football player Lyle Blackwood, track and field sprinter Clyde Glosson, and Northeast Independent School District Athletic Director Jerry Comalander. On the far right is San Antonio Express-News President and Publisher Tom Stephenson (not an inductee). JOHN DAVENPORT / STAFF

Olympic swimmer and medalist Josh Davis (left) addresses the crowd and other inductees of the 2008 San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame at the Alamodome on Tuesday October 9, 2007. The new members of the San Antonio

R.A. Johnson was a highly successful football coach at Sam Houston High School, winning 105 games in 14 seasons with eight district championships.

But his on-field triumphs weren't mentioned by those remembering Johnson, who died Tuesday after a battle with lung cancer. He was 70.

Instead, they spoke of his legacy as one of the most highly respected coaches in San Antonio and his work with at-risk players on the East Side.

“R.A. knew those kids came from hard backgrounds, and he understood that those kids didn't always have dinner to eat or clean clothes to wear,” former Sam Houston basketball coach Wayne Dickey said. “He knew how and when to push each individual button. He never let kids use what they had or didn't have as an excuse. He made the kids accountable.”

Johnson was coach at Sam Houston from 1983-96, leading the Cherokees to a 105-48-2 record and 11 playoff appearances. The Cherokees won eight Class 5A district titles and had a streak of 33 straight district victories from 1987-92.

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“He is Sam Houston,” said Gary Green, the current football coach at Sam Houston, which changed its mascot to the Hurricanes in 2001. “He saved a lot of young men in this community, put a lot of guys through college. Everybody has so much respect for him.”

Johnson, a 1961 Jefferson graduate, is the older brother of former major league baseball player Cliff Johnson.

Visitation begins at 5 p.m. April 19, while funeral services are set for 10:30 a.m. April 20, both at Second Baptist Church, 3313 E. Commerce St.

“He was really engrossed in all of the kids' lives,” his wife Francine Prosser-Johnson said. “He always took a genuine interest in everyone he came across. He loved football, but he was using the game to give kids tools to use off the field.”

Johnson left Sam Houston in 1997 to become an assistant principal at Highlands.

He returned to coaching for two years in 2003 and 2004, when Fox Tech coach Denny Peel persuaded him to return as a defensive backs coach.

“He'd get everything he could out of a kid. They respected him and loved him because he'd take the time for anything put in front of him,” Peel said. “He put his footprint on San Antonio. If you were fortunate to know him, you were better off.”

lchan@express-news.net

Twitter:@mysahighschools

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mySA.com/sports: Look back on the career of former Sam Houston coach R.A. Johnson, who died Tuesday.